Worlds strongestspider smasher
by riah alice drake
Summary: BruceNat one shot


Given the lateness of the hour, Bruce was surprised anyone else was awake as he finished looking over another page of Tony's coffee scribbled equations fixing the mistakes before any of them could be used in anything that could result in injuries. Tony's or otherwise.

"Dr. Banner I'm sorry to interrupt but Miss Romanova is requesting your assistance. It's a matter of the code green variety she says."

Bruce jumps to his feet hurrying from the basement lab toward the closest stairwell not wanting to be in any confined spaces should the 'other guy' make an appearance due to his elevating heart rate. He gives up halfway up the second flight and instead uses Hulk's jumping abilities to par core his way up to the floor he needed.

The sounds of something heavy and metal clattering against the wall as soon as he pushes the door out of the way doesn't do anything to calm his nerves. If anything, it makes him see even more green, but he holds back on the change a little longer as he creeps toward the open door.

He needs to see just what the other guy will be dealing with before he lets him out to Smash.

Muttered Russian curses and more scraping of metal drift from the kitchen of the dimly light apartment despite the apartment taking up the whole floor of the tower.

"Banner get your ass in here already." His girlfriend orders talking just loud enough to be heard as she raises the heavy looking frying pan higher. Bruce guesses to continue bashing whoever had been foolish enough to attack her in the head again. What he didn't expect however was how nervous she seemed to be as she looked around hunting for what he didn't know while cowering like a child on top of the kitchen island with a frying pan cliched in a white-knuckled grip.

Hulk took over then pushing passed Bruce's control at the sounds of his Tasha in distress. A side of her only Bruce and the Bartons were able to really see. Although she tries to limit how often they see 'Auntie Nat' as anything but an attention craving drawing praising rock start as she explained once after the mess with Bruce's extended stay in space had been tended to.

"Good Hulkie." Nat slurred clearly in need of sleep and by the look of her maybe in need of medical attention as well. "Go smack." Despite getting his signature line wrong Hulk obeys crossing to the corner Natasha had indicted on the hunt for whatever threat had caused her to toss a perfectly good tea kettle at it earlier in the night.

Not seeing anything remotely dangerous other than an already killed spider Hulk brought a fist down just in case before turning back to a pleased-looking Black Widow.

"Thanks, Guy Big." She giggles. Hulk can see it now the nasty looking crack to her head as he takes a step closer.

"Tasha hurt." He points but Nat waves him away.

"Tasha find. Got a hard skull." Hulk stops her before she could knock against her still bleeding head as if to prove her point. "Banner fix." He promises holding out his arms. Despite what the more Bruce side of his shared mind thinks she doesn't protest.

"My boys take good care of me." She grins to herself curling up in the crook of Hulk's arm as he heads back toward the door. "Kills the spiders. Keeps me warm." She yawns as Hulk shrinks back to Bruce as the near the elevator.

"I've already prepared the cradle for your arrival Dr. Banner," FRIDAY informs him as the doors chimed open. "Thanks, FRIDAY." Bruce answers.

"Nat?"

"Humm?"

"What happened to your head?" The question was two-fold one to keep her talking in case she was concussed and the other for assessing what frequencies he'd need to set the cradle.

"Hit myself pulling the pan out."

Bruce didn't realize she was still holding onto the cast-iron pan until it is dropped painfully onto his foot.

"Stupid thing hit me 'for I hit it." Nat glared down at the thing now resting on Bruce's foot.

"Why did you need to get the pan in the first place?" The two had decided to order out that night rather than their customary home or rather 'tower cooked' meals for date night.

"Stupid spider wouldn't dead, and the other stuff was put up." Nat answers as if it were the most obvious answer ever. Her mixed up wording making her doctor boyfriend equally amused and concerned as the elevator doors open into the med bay.

The worlds most feared and deadly assassins. A spider in her own right some would say having such a deeply seeded fear of the creatures that had inspired her code name that she throws tea pots at them while dealing with a mild was just to amusing for words.

"No, tell Tony." Natasha growls as he lays her down inside the repurposed cradle once used to create Vision.

"Your secret is safe." Bruce agrees bringing one of her hands up to his lips in promise as the cradle gets to work healing whatever wounds Natasha had inflicted on herself while Bruce stays by her side never letting go of her hand.

A new mug greets him when he enters the lab the next morning. Already steaming with what he'd found to be his favorite blend of herbal tea he starts in on the last page of equations knowing from experience that Tony wouldn't be in for a few more hours. Despite his unease, the wired mechanic does get some sleep at night. So long as Pepper is around to talk him down should he have a nightmare that is.

It's not until Tony points it out finally joining him in the lab while Bruce is refilling what was his sixth cup that there was something written on the mug.

It was one of the novelty mugs from the merchandising chain Tony had set up where the proceeds went to relief funds in the wakes of Avenger created destruction. Yet here it should say '_World's Strongest Avenger' _someone had crossed out the last part and had written _'Spider Smasher' _in its place. Given that the mug itself was meant to be a replica of Hulk's fist the meaning could have been written off as a crude insight into his personal life, but Bruce knew better. Tony had a field day with the teasing comments while they worked but Bruce didn't let anything fuse him as he looked over equations making adjustments when needed and adding a few of his own along the way.

Natasha's only comment on Bruce's new drinking mug was a flash of a smirk as she steals a drink from it while she leans her hip against the edge of the lab table he'd been standing at watching him work.

He still keeps a copy of that amused smile tucked into his wallet and had even pulled it out as proof after telling the story of how he'd come to have his favorite drinking mug the morning after the duel funerals the team had held at the lake house for their fallen members.

Morgan, Nate, Lila, and Cooper seemed to want to hear the story every time Bruce refilled his cup while they dug into the mountain of eggs and cheeseburgers they'd surprisingly been allowed instead of breakfast.

"She said that little scar was from headbutting some enemy agent in the head." Laura chuckled into her coffee mug remembering the flushed pink coloring Nat's cheeks before she'd answered.

"She would say that but sorry to say it was just a lost fight with a frying pan." Bruce sighed "And the real kicker. The spider she smashed was one of the fake ones Tony had hidden around the base the year before during Halloween that we'd never tracked down until then."

That triggered another round of giggling from the younger generation at the table while Laura shook her head as Bruce once again pulls out the picture once again, so it was like Natasha was sitting with them as they ate.


End file.
